Score: B-
Director: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson
Cast: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rated: R
Animated movies are often left to kids. Pixar and Dreamworks seem to dominate the genre with fun and colorful films meant for families and merchandise sales. Anomalisa is a reminder that animation can be a genre for adults, too – even if it does tell the same bleak story other films have already told.
Anomalisa was written and co-directed by Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich) and is done entirely with stop-motion animated puppets. Our protagonist is Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis), an aging and dejected-looking man who flies into Cincinnati for the night to give a speech at non-descript conference on customer service. It’s clear that Michael is out of it and just going through the motions since everyone has the same face and the same voice (all done by Tom Noonan). That is, until he meets Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh) whose distinct voice cuts through the crowd. Lisa is immediately dazzled by Michael and eventually leads to one of the most realistic (and thus uncomfortable) sex scenes out there, albeit done with stop-motion puppets. In the end, their connection teaches them each something about themselves.
Anomalisa is a treat to watch, if only for its quirky animation style. I found myself teetering between marveling at the animation and forgetting I was watching puppets altogether. It’s a great device for illustrating just how disconnected Michael is from all other human beings. Though they constantly surround him, he’s unable to truly connect with any of them. Still, as much as I enjoyed the animation style, I found myself more irked as it progressed. Michael seems to spend a lot of time feeling sorry for himself and uses his apathy as a justification to act like a dick. As we get into its final act, the film loses steam and its ideas about morose everyday life don’t quite hit home. Instead, I just felt annoyed that I had to watch another rich, white, married dude go through a midlife crisis and hurt others with no real remorse.
Even though the stop-motion animation is fun to watch and adds a fascinating level of artificiality to this story of mundane, everyday life, in the end it felt like a story I’ve watched too many times.
